The next day, Rowy and Van finally left the inn in the late afternoon. The aftermath of riding horses all day yesterday had belatedly caught up with Rowy. When Rowy woke up from sleeping deeply, exhausted, it was already well past lunchtime.
Thanks to that, their plan to go to the temple in the morning was pushed entirely to evening. Since they’d agreed to meet Seilan again at the temple, the two decided to tour the city for the short time they had before then.
And to eat the desserts Rowy had wanted so badly while they were at it.
“The specialty here is chestnuts. So Mont Blanc is famous.”
“I see.”
Having earnestly studied the travel booklet Seilan had given him, Rowy explained this and that about Marzen to Van, who was from Marzen.
Though Rowy was listing things Van already knew, Van nodded earnestly. Of course, it was the first time today he’d heard that Mont Blanc was Marzen’s famous dessert.
“Is this the central plaza?”
“Yes, it’s the busiest district. Though not as much as Seraphila.”
“No, it’s fascinating.”
Marzen’s capital, Ens, didn’t have the glamour of Seraphila, but the uniform buildings lining the spacious boulevard were still quite a sight to see. Comparing with the booklet in his hand, Rowy kept peeking here and there. Van also looked around slowly alongside Rowy.
‘It seems exactly the same as before.’
Though years had passed since he left, the streets hadn’t changed from before. To think he’d walk this road with Rowy. It felt strange. Maybe because memories of leaving like running away remained….
‘Back then, I never even thought I’d return with someone like this.’
Lost in various thoughts while following Rowy, Van’s eyes caught sight of the Mont Blanc that Rowy had been singing about so much. It was a large Mont Blanc model made to look exactly like the real thing.
They said it was Marzen’s specialty dessert, and indeed, every shop had Mont Blanc pictures drawn on them, making him wonder why he’d never known until now. On top of that, such a large sculpture. While examining the model with curious eyes, Van discovered the shop Seilan had recommended in the back.
“That must be it.”
“Huh? Wow!”
Discovering the shop, Rowy ran over excitedly.
“They say the Mont Blanc and chestnut ice cream are delicious here!”
Even before finishing speaking, Rowy was already opening the shop door. Van smiled and followed behind. As he hurried to enter the shop following Rowy like that, at the shop’s entrance… Van discovered a familiar object.
“Hm? Why is this here….”
Pure white silk hung in a frame, with elaborate sacred script densely inscribed within. It was an Elysion Temple protective talisman.
‘Why is this attached to the shop door?’
Could a demon have appeared? Van grabbed Rowy who was going ahead and instantly sharpened his aura.
“Why?”
“Wait, let me examine this.”
Van interpreted the sacred script written on the protective talisman with a serious face.
‘So… this is….’
—Demon Exorcism, Fortune Prayer.
…What on earth is this? Van’s eyes trembled finely in confusion.
* * *
He didn’t know what state of mind he watched Rowy eat Mont Blanc with. Still, after carefully attending to him from the side, Van took Rowy and hurried to the temple. It seemed he needed to see with his own eyes what was happening.
The Elysion Temple was located halfway up a mountain range on the outskirts of the capital, and since it was a small temple without many visitors, there wasn’t a proper road. Because of that, visitors usually used horses. However, the previous day, though he wasn’t even the one riding the horse, what was so difficult about it… Rowy refused to ride a horse.
“We can walk.”
“If we take horses, we’ll really arrive quickly. It’s not a long journey like yesterday.”
“I don’t want to. Is it this way?”
“Yes, this way… but the road is really rough, so it’s not good for walking.”
Rowy didn’t even pretend to listen to Van’s words and just moved forward. Van followed behind Rowy, flustered. After walking like that for a while, soon a path leading to the Elysion Temple appeared before them. …But that path was completely different from Van’s memory.
“You said the road was rough.”
“It was….”
At the well-paved road spread before his eyes, Van lost his words and mumbled. When did they make such a big road?
“The way to Elysion Temple. This way.”
“…A signpost? Is that a signpost?”
—The Way to Elysion Temple
“Yeah. Here’s an arrow.”
…There was even a large signpost erected.
‘What on earth happened at the temple?’
Following the signpost and slowly climbing the neatly cleared road, Van’s expression gradually hardened.
“Hmm hmm….”
Whether Van’s expression hardened or not, Rowy even hummed a tune as he fluttered along the forest path. Walking up the spacious road like taking a stroll, they reached the Elysion Temple quickly. And at the front of the temple they arrived at… a ticket booth was firmly positioned.
“A ticket booth? There’s a ticket booth? Why is there a ticket booth at a temple?”
Flustered, Van pointed and kept repeating “ticket booth.” Leaving Van like that, Rowy naturally approached it.
“Hello. Two adults.”
“Welcome, believer. Just entrance tickets? Or would you like a blessing prayer as well?”
“What’s a blessing prayer?”
“If you purchase a prayer, you can receive a priest’s blessing after touring the temple. The prices vary depending on the type of blessing—shall I show you the price list?”
“Mm.”
“Here, you can see fortune prayers start at five million Cen….”
What on earth is a fortune prayer! Van hurriedly approached and snatched the booklet from Rowy’s hands.
“No! What is this! What is this! Father Robert!”
“Huh? …Commander?”
Father Robert’s eyes, which had been mechanically delivering sales pitches to Rowy with a soulless expression, widened greatly.
* * *
“Haha, this is embarrassing.”
“What on earth is all this?”
At Father Robert’s words that he couldn’t leave his post right now, Van and Rowy squeezed into the small ticket booth. Van looked around this absurd temporary building with a serious expression. The inside of the ticket booth was cluttered with various equipment, but what stood out most was a large schedule for the priests written on one wall.
Head Priest-nim, Father William, Father Nicholas… all familiar names. Even Father Alex? He’d heard Alex left the temple after subduing the great demon, but he must still be remaining at the temple.
Below their names, times and prayer contents were packed in. Most of them were purchasers of fortune prayers.
And… pregnancy prayers? Our temple could do that too?
“I want to do this one. Does this really work?”
While Van looked around inside with a complicated heart, Rowy, who’d been earnestly looking at the price list in his hand, spoke.
“Wish fulfillment prayer. The thirty million Cen one.”
“What? How much? Thirty million?”
Aren’t these complete scammers? Van’s eyes looking at Priest Robert instantly grew cold.
“What is all this?”
At that gaze, Priest Robert opened his mouth with an awkward laugh.
“Well… you know the temple has a lot of debt, Commander?”
“Yes.”
How could he not know? This side was even sold as a slave due to that aftermath.
‘Though thanks to that….’
Van glanced at Rowy sitting beside him. As if completely uninterested in their conversation, Rowy was still earnestly reading only the booklet with prices. Van sneakily peeked at that booklet. The booklet was more detailed than expected, seeming to include introductions of the priests who would give blessing prayers.
‘Fortune specialist, success specialist, wish fulfillment specialist….’
After roughly examining the contents, Van shook his head and looked at Priest Robert again.
“So?”
“As you know, after the last subjugation, the debt to the Order snowballed… and eventually the temple was sold entirely. But then the children living here would have nowhere to go.”
“Ah….”
The temple was caring for several orphaned children with nowhere to go. Van had been one of those children too. Thinking of the children, Van’s expression clouded.
“So the trading company that purchased the temple made a proposal. That is, a kind of business.”
They wanted this place to become the most famous temple in the southern continent. And to achieve that, they proposed selling the priests’ blessing prayers like products. To the priests who felt resistance to praying for money, the trading company persuaded them by saying they would sponsor the children if they just did that. The result of eventually falling for those words was this.
“So you’re receiving donations and giving blessing prayers.”
“Ye-es. That’s what happened. This is embarrassing. Moreover, lately it’s been so popular we can’t keep our heads straight.”
Haha. Priest Robert scratched his head and laughed.
“It’s worldly business, but… still, since the children are living comfortably, everyone is now actively working.”
“……”
They say other orders have been operating like this for a long time. Of course, I know well that we don’t need to walk the same path as them, but….
“Still, shouldn’t we somehow move forward too? Since God’s will has already been fulfilled.”
When put that way, there was nothing to say. Who was he to blame those who were somehow protecting the temple, when he abandoned everything and left as soon as Mammon the great demon was destroyed? Van lowered his head.
“I’m sorry. I….”
“It’s not something for the Commander to apologize for. In the end, it was the Commander who defeated Mammon.”
Even at those words, Van’s expression didn’t clear. His heart felt heavy. Seeing Van’s face like that, Father Robert deliberately spoke brightly.
“As you can see, we’ve been doing better than expected. How have you been, Commander? Come to think of it, who is that person….”
Priest Robert’s eyes turned toward Rowy. But before Van could answer, Rowy abruptly interjected into that conversation.
“I’ve decided what to get. I’ll take the Head Priest’s wish fulfillment prayer. Oh, and add an exorcism too.”
“Ah, yes. The Head Priest’s wish fulfillment prayer… and exorcism?”
“Yeah. I met a demon.”
“…Pardon?”
At the unexpected words, flustered Priest Robert looked at Van’s face.
